1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, image forming method, and process cartridge. Further, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and image forming method that make use of an electrostatic charge developing toner composition used in copiers, printers, and so forth employing electrophotographic technology, and more particularly relates to an image forming apparatus, image forming method, and process cartridge with which toner remaining on a latent electrostatic image bearing member is recovered and reused rather than being discarded, and furthermore the fouling of the charging member of the latent electrostatic image bearing member is prevented, the recovery of this remaining toner in the developing step is facilitated, and excellent image stability is obtained.
The present invention is applied to electronic paper coloring particles (the toner of the present invention can be applied without modification).
2. Description of the Related Art
A method in which a cleaning member is used to recover waste toner in a holding container has been employed in the past as a way to recover remaining toner on a latent electrostatic image bearing member after transfer. With contact cleaning, which is a typical cleaning method, an elastic body is brought into contact with the latent electrostatic image bearing member, and the waste toner is recovered in a container. These methods in which a cleaning member is used to recover remaining toner on a latent electrostatic image bearing member after transfer do not meet the environmental requirements in this field because they generate waste toner, nor do they meet the need for smaller devices that take up less space because enough space has to be left for the holding container.
One technique for dealing with this environmental problem is a cleaner-less image forming method. This is an image forming method in which image recording is performed without using a device for removing toner remaining after transfer. Using this cleaner-less image forming method makes it possible to eliminate the cleaning device, and also allows the toner remaining on the latent electrostatic image bearing member to be used again to form images, which makes this an extremely useful technique in that it provides an image forming apparatus with a smaller environmental footprint.
Also, because these cleaner-less image forming methods do not involve the use of a holding container, they allow the device to be more compact. That is, it is possible to satisfy the need for a smaller device, which is one of the things desired of electrophotographic printers and copiers. Therefore, a cleaner-less image forming method is an extremely effective technique that is more environmentally friendly and helps reduce the size of an image forming apparatus.
These cleaner-less image forming methods are known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 11-184216 and 08-137368. In JP-A Nos. 11-184216 and 08-137368, there is no control of the adhesive components of the sheet, which is a recharging member, and toner, so adhesion to the sheet cannot be prevented, and it is difficult to completely prevent the occurrence of adhering matter.